Building my first ever computer.

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Thanks so much for making me feel welcome in my Green Room "hello" post.

So, I really want to build a top notch gaming PC.

This came on after really enjoying playing games on my MacBook Pro. So I want to go deeper and discover what it's like to play games with max settings in the comfort of my own little battle station/home getaway zone. Sounds like a really enjoyable hobby that isn't "blowing heaps of money at the pub".

I have no experience in the tech side of computers (or tech anything else), so I'm greener than the Hulk. Although Bruce Banner would know how to do this in an instant!

So far, I've worked out what I think are the steps to PC building success:

Step 1: Research all the parts I need and work out if they play nicely together.

Step 2: Work out where to buy them in Australia, then surrender my wallet.

Step 3: Put it all together.

(Step 4: Instantly plan next build.) ;)

I've heard this video is one of the most helpful:

I've watched it several times, and I'm still confused about how he knows what to plug in where. And do you need to buy all the cables separately?

Also, it seems like a bit of a lucky dip that the components you buy will fit in the case you choose. Or, are they rather universal slots?

And for picking parts, should I just browse forums and read recommendations?

Thanks for coming along with me on this one guys. Will post pics and all the rest as things progress.

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I've watched it several times, and I'm still confused about how he knows what to plug in where. And do you need to buy all the cables separately?

Not usually. All of the cables required come with the parts, your power supply (PSU) will have the cables required to power all the other parts. The plugs will match up to the receptacle on the part you are powering, pretty hard to stuff it up.

Also, it seems like a bit of a lucky dip that the components you buy will fit in the case you choose. Or, are they rather universal slots?

The slots on the motherboard are, as long as you take note to buy the right RAM (DDR3 or DDR 4 etc depending on the mobo), same goes with the CPU, you need a socket 1156 motherboard for a socket 1156 CPU. etc. If you get a large video card then you might have trouble getting in to fit into a smaller case, ask here, or google or ask your retailer if the the parts you want to order will all fit together.

And for picking parts, should I just browse forums and read recommendations?

Decide what you want, (gaming, video editing or just web browsing/ desktop work), decide on a budget and then ask for advice. You'll get parts recommendations that you then research from there.

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I'm not up on current prices sop can't help you there but 1) is 500gb going to be enough storage for you? 2) Note that the new nvidia graphics cards are due out fairly soon so you might see some discounting on the GTX-980 or spend the same amount on the new hardware when it arrives?

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I'm not up on current prices sop can't help you there but 1) is 500gb going to be enough storage for you? 2) Note that the new nvidia graphics cards are due out fairly soon so you might see some discounting on the GTX-980 or spend the same amount on the new hardware when it arrives?

Maybe I am being a bit full on, but I always spent around 3 to 4K on my laptops, so thought I'd just put that amount of cash into a desktop. Overkill?

I thought 500gig would be okay to start, then I can upgrade later. But maybe that's a pain and I should just do it all now.

Also, thanks for the warning about the new graphics cards.

Sounds like I should wait a few months... BUT I REALY DON'T WANT TO! :(

you want at least a 3000mhz c14\c15 ram kit not a huge deal but it will improve cpu performance ~10% in games and costs very little extra

you could save some cash on the mb dont get me wrong its a nice mb for those that want to tweak there system but ~$200-250 gets you a decent mb

corsair h100i tend to be loud and dont really perform any better than a big hsf like nh-d15 provided the case has good airflow

new gpu should be out next month that are as fast as the 980ti but cheaper and use less power they should also perform better in dx12

Okay thank you mate.

I'll have to some research as not sure what those numbers mean in relation to RAM.

Sounds like I picked a dud CPU COOLER, will keep looking. Was kinda trying to find one that didn't require me putting on thermal paste.

And is the new GPU you're talking about the new graphics cards mentioned above? Thank you for your time.

AMD are bring out a dual Fury X (overpriced) and nVidia are releasing the GTX1080, so prices should start moving down to get rid of old stock.

The Intel 6850K is also coming out soon.

Okay thanks. Maybe I could still get the graphics card I picked, but for a much cheaper price if I wait for the new stuff to come out.

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But with graphics cards the model number usually gives a clue to the capability. The system they use has been fairly consistent for years, used to be 4 digit numbering system but is now mainly 3.

e.g. old numbering system HD4870 (ATI/AMD) 8800GT (nVidia).

new system R9-380 (AMD) GTX750 (nVidia).

First number in both cases is the series/generation. Tends to be cyclic going from 0 to 9. New series releases are anything from 6 to 24 months apart.

Second number is the important one, refers to capability within the series. 0 to 3 is low end stuff. 4 to 6 is midrange. 7 to 9 is high end.

Last number/s often just zero, usually used to distinguish among variants of a particular model.

With comparing inter-generational cards from each company. A 2 generations old high end card will often be similar in capabilty to current midrange card. But it's not consistent. Sometimes a "new" generation will just be a process size shrink with little else changing other than less power usage and heat generation.

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But with graphics cards the model number usually gives a clue to the capability. The system they use has been fairly consistent for years, used to be 4 digit numbering system but is now mainly 3.

e.g. old numbering system HD4870 (ATI/AMD) 8800GT (nVidia).

new system R9-380 (AMD) GTX750 (nVidia).

First number in both cases is the series/generation. Tends to be cyclic going from 0 to 9. New series releases are anything from 6 to 24 months apart.

Second number is the important one, refers to capability within the series. 0 to 3 is low end stuff. 4 to 6 is midrange. 7 to 9 is high end.

Last number/s often just zero, usually used to distinguish among variants of a particular model.

With comparing inter-generational cards from each company. A 2 generations old high end card will often be similar in capabilty to current midrange card. But it's not consistent. Sometimes a "new" generation will just be a process size shrink with little else changing other than less power usage and heat generation.

Thanks, this is really helpful.

So what does everything think, keep researching yet hold off buying until the new graphics cards are released? Or, stuff it and go ahead, as you have to jump in at some time and the GTX980ti will still beat out the new Pascal stuff for some time anyway?

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the typical 1151 system with a single gpu will use ~300-400w maybe ~500w with a very high v oc too high for 24\7 use

so a 550-650w psu is plenty for most people pccg has some xfx psu that are very good value in that power range

there is some other good units about

gold to platinum is just a small jump in efficiency its nice to have but the power savings are not likely to cover the outlay with the current price difference

most m.2 ssd are still limited to sata speeds

there is a few overly expensive ones like the samsung 950 pro that can make use of it but for most software\games sequential read\write speeds are not the limitation so you only gain 1-2sec from the ~3000mb read speed

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the typical 1151 system with a single gpu will use ~300-400w maybe ~500w with a very high v oc too high for 24\7 use

so a 550-650w psu is plenty for most people pccg has some xfx psu that are very good value in that power range

there is some other good units about

gold to platinum is just a small jump in efficiency its nice to have but the power savings are not likely to cover the outlay with the current price difference

most m.2 ssd are still limited to sata speeds

there is a few overly expensive ones like the samsung 950 pro that can make use of it but for most software\games sequential read\write speeds are not the limitation so you only gain 1-2sec from the ~3000mb read speed

Thank you.

So it sounds like it's best to stick with a regular SSD at the moment. But maybe I should just get two of them so I don't run out of space.

If the top results in PC PART PICKER are the most popular (are they?) then the one listed below should be good for my setup?: